Swan Song
by Bedlam87
Summary: When the ARC is invaded by vicious predators Jess is forced to chose whether to save herself or to protect London, and the people she loves. Not a oneshot, but a short story.
1. Will I Lose My Dignity?

Jess yawned as she made her way down the darkened hallways of the ARC, thankful yet again that Lester agreed to give her a computer tablet with full access to the ADD. It made her life a lot easier. She'd spent most of the night working out a few kinks in the system, and now all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep for a week.

"You heading out?" a voice from her left said. She spun around and wasn't surprised to see Donald, nicknamed Oreo because of his skunk dyed hair, standing next to her. She glanced at her watch and sighed.

"Unfortunately not," she said with a tired smile, "My shift starts in a couple hours so I'll probably just take a quick nap in the lounge."

"Before you do, Lester said he left some paper work for you in his office." Jess groaned.

"You'd think he would have realized I'm not his secretary by now." Oreo gave a sharp bark of laughter before slapping his hand over his mouth and looking around as if expecting Lester to jump out of hiding. Jess giggled as she made her way to Lester's glass walled office, wondering if the taciturn boss knew just how much his underlings feared him. She rolled her eyes when she finally opened the door and saw the large stack of paperwork waiting for her on Lester's immaculate desk.

"Well," she muttered, "doesn't this look like fun." She debated for a moment whether she should get at least a few hours of sleep or dive into the paperwork. A groan slipped out when she saw the due date on some of the papers, the end of today, and the decision was made for her. Luckily for her, Lester had excellent taste in chairs and she sighed in contentment when she sank into the cushion.

"Maybe just a quick nap," she yawned, stretching her arms high overhead, before curling up into the chair.

The glass wall didn't provide her any protection from the sight of dozens of future predators ripping their way through the ops room support staff. She closed her eyes and plugged her ears, doing her best to wish it all away.  
>"Think, think," she muttered to herself. There wasn't enough time to call for help. She wondered if she would be able to hold out in Lester's office until Becker arrived to save day, like he always did. She had no idea if the anomaly alert had gone off and she'd simply slept through it or if it hadn't gone off at all. If it had gone off then the team would be here in seconds after racing through the streets of London.<br>"Oh God," she whispered. They could get outside, there was nothing between the predators and London but open doors. She moved quickly and quietly, scrambling for her tablet, a plan already forming in her mind. She desperately hit key after key on the touch screen when she was finally rewarded with a red laser scanning the room. The instant the red beam hit one of the predators the lights went off as a mechanical woman's voice announced emergency lockdown and evacuation. A shiver raced down her spine at the memory of what happens the last time this lockdown had gone into effect. The steel enforced doors slammed closed with a sickening this and Jess knew there was no going back. She was trapped in the ops room of the ARC, surrounded by bloodied bodies and vicious animals. To top it off all the air was slowly being sucked out of the room.


	2. Will Someone Care?

Jess fought back the urge to cry, and the bile that rose in her throat, as she stared into Oreo's sightless eyes through the glass. The white parts of his hair were now stained a dark pink from the blood that was slowly spreading around the floor. She wasn't sure if anyone else had survived the attack, though she sincerely doubted it, so if she factored in just her and the predators then she had about an hour's worth of air left, maybe less. Her watch beeped, the sound seeming much louder than usual, and she saw that she had a little over an hour before the rest of the team clocked in. Her eyes widened in fear as a frighteningly familiar clicking sound had her race to lock the door before the predator heading towards it could get in. The ape like creature slammed hard into the door just as she threw the bolt and Jess thanked her lucky stars that Lester had insisted on bullet proof glass. Her eyes locked with the predator's, or at least where the eyes should be, as she walked backwards towards her hiding spot underneath the heavy oak desk.

Listening to the sounds of the creatures feeding on the bodies of her friends, Jess wondered if she would even last long enough for Becker to do his hero thing.

Becker groaned as she rolled over in bed to reach for his blaring cell phone. Getting woken up at all hours of the night was one of the major downsides of the job, especially when working off of only twenty hours of sleep for the past week. Losing friends was another one. Connor's id blared on his screen and he sighed as he answered the phone.

"Connor it's my day off, this had better be good." He said.

"The ARC's locked down, and we have no idea what caused it." Becker was out of his bed before Connor had even finished speaking. He pulled on one of the many plain black t-shirts lying around the room.

"I'll meet you there." He said hanging up and nearly sprinting to the door. He took side streets in order to avoid the normal rush hour traffic. All the possible causes of a lockdown were flashing through his head as she drove, everyone even more unlikely than the previous, and he kept coming back to a creature incursion. If that was the case, he wondered how many people were already dead.

Matt was waiting for him in the parking lot when he finally pulled in.

"The team all here?" he asked before he was even fully out of his truck. He walked right passed Matt, who simply turned and walked with him.

"We're still waiting on Lester and Jess," he said, "Phillip's here, but he won't override the system until we know what we're dealing with." Becker barely heard the last part of what Matt was saying as he was stuck on the fact that Jess wasn't with Connor and Abby.

"Jess didn't ride with Connor and Abby?" he asked. Matt shook his head.

"Abby said something about Jess staying the night at her sister's house." Becker nodded and let out a relieved breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"I take it Connor's trying to get the cameras up and running?"

"Yeah, we need to see if anyone is still inside. Most of the staff got out before lockdown was completed, but we think there are still a few people still stuck." They finally reached the small security office where Connor, Abby and Burton had set up shop.

"Let's just hope this is some kind of malfunction or something." Abby said her eyes glued to the screen where her boyfriend was doing his best to get the team a view of what was going on inside the building.

"We're not that lucky," Becker muttered under his breath, ignoring Matt when the other man nudged him.

"Cameras are up." Connor said as he began flicking between views. The halls were all eerily empty, but the team couldn't see any reason for the ARC to have gone into lockdown.

"Creepy," Connor said, copying the thought from everyone's mind.

"Well that's not comforting in the least," a voice from behind them said. Everyone turned around to see their boss walking towards them.

"Ah James, good of you to join us," Burton said.

"Yes well, one does tend to hurry in an emergency," Lester said meeting Phillip's gaze with a hard one of his own. Becker rolled his eyes at the posturing going on between the two men, he wished they could lay off just until they were sure no one was in danger.

"Oh God," The horror and disgust in Connor's voice had the entire team snapping their heads back in his direction. Abby gasped as the image of the blood soaked ops room filled the screen. She closed her eyes and blindly reached for Connor, who pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. Becker had seen some horrible things in his life time and had built up a strong tolerance to gore, but this had even his stomach turning. The bodies were completely unrecognizable, torn to shreds by some creature, and there were bloody trails in places where some of the victims had tried to crawl to safety. A flash of gray on the screen caught his eye and he cursed silently under his breath.

"Future predators," the words were bit out like another curse word and he could hear gasps and curses from the people around him. He stared hard at the screen as the creatures ambled slowly through the room.

"Something's off," he said with a frown, "They almost look drunk." Matt moved closer to look at the screen over his shoulder.

"Connor, can you see if there's anything in the air that could be causing this?" The red head asked his eyes narrowing as he searched what he could see of the room. The computer genius immediately started flying his fingers across the keyboard.

"How about a lack of air?" Connor said his eyes going wide, "Someone turned on Phillip's creature failsafe." The others shared a look of surprise.

"I thought that had been taken out of the system," Abby said. Connor shook his head.

"It was just shut down in case we ever needed it in an extreme case, but not a lot of people can access it." Becker felt himself go a little pale at Connor's words.

"We may have a survivor then," Becker said as he started flicking through the different cameras, "Connor can you see who turned on the bio scan?"

"It may take a couple of minutes, but yeah." Connor said and began working to find the specific electronic signature of the person who initiated the program. Lester sighed as his phone rang.

"Lovely," he said, "It's the Prime Minister. Right you lot find out if anyone's still alive and get them out of there." He hit the talk button as he headed out and they listened as his voice became fainter and fainter. Soon there was silence in the room, except for the tapping of keys, as Becker scanned the video feeds and Connor searched through the deep recesses of the ARC's computer system. A flash of green caught Becker's eye and he zoomed in, eyes narrowing to focus on the abnormality. His eyes widened and his breath caught when he finally realized he was looking at a bright green pump.

"Jess," he and Connor said at the same time. Both men snapped their heads to look at each other.

"Jess turned on the program from her tablet," Connor said softly, "How did you know?" Becker just pointed at where Jess' shoe sat on the screen like a disturbing beacon and took off towards the ops room at full speed. His heart was pounding hard in his chest as he thought about never seeing Jess again. He'd done his best to keep her at a safe distance, but somehow she had managed to lay siege to his heart and claim victory.

"Phillip," He said mid run, "Lift the lockdown." Within another minute he was at the steel door separating him for Jess. He punched in his code and waited for the doors to slide open. When they didn't he tried his code again and cursed when that failed. "Open the damn door Phillip!" Footsteps behind him announced the arrival of the rest of the team. Becker was too caught up in his fear for Jess to even realize they were there.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Burton's voice said over the coms. Becker clenched his fists and the others looked less than pleased at Burton's words.

"Jess might still be alive," he said harshly, praying it was true and not just a hopeful dream that came too late, "We're waiting time. Most of the creatures are already dead, we can take care of the rest while we search for survivors."

"We can't afford to risk them getting into the city," Burton's voice was careless when he finally caught up with the rest of the team.

"It's Jess," Abby said glaring at the billionaire, "We have to get her out of there." Burton dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand.

"We'll remember her fondly and send our deepest sympathies to her family, but it's for the greater good." He turned his attention to the tablet in Connor's hands, oblivious to the looks of disgust and anger from the team. Matt had a restraining hand on Becker's shoulder and even Connor, whose hero worship of Burton knew no bounds, was looking at him in something akin to disgust.

"If you don't open that door right now, I will put you in the ground," Becker growled, not caring what the rest of the team thought. Burton just raised an eyebrow at him, clearly not believing his threat.

"I understand that this is difficult for all of you, but I have to make the tough decisions," Burton said, "Now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to Prospero." With that he turned and walked away, leaving the team staring after him in shock. Becker was the first one to recover, as usual. He broke the glass covering the emergency fire ax and tried to pry open the door with it. After a full minute of effort, with Matt helping him, the wooden handle snapped. Becker cursed and tossed the useless thing aside.

"Can you get it open?" he asked Connor and felt his heart begin to crack as he sadly shook his head.

"Phillip's the only one with clearance to open it before the protocol has run a full cycle."

"What the hell is the full cycle?" Becker said hating the fact that Jess' survival odds were getting lower with every passing moment. He really didn't like the way Connor looked at him, full of fear and anguish.

"The lock down gets lifted automatically when the room's been without air for ten minutes." Becker leaned his weight against the wall behind him, worried for the first time since his basic training that his legs wouldn't support his weight.

"How much longer till she runs out of air?" he asked, terrified of the answer. Connor was about to answer when a loud beeping sounded from hi tablet.

"The doors will be open in ten minutes," he said. Becker's resolve finally crumbled and he sank to the floor, completely unaware of Abby's sobs or Connor murmuring softly to her. Becker stared unseeing at the door that separated him from Jess. He gave up on trying to hide his emotions and cried quietly into his hands, acknowledging that the woman he'd tried, and failed, not to love was dead.

**There will be two more chapters (most likely) after this one so don't panic! Hopefully they'll be about as long, if not longer than this one. I hope you enjoyed this and please let me know. I live for reviews!**


	3. Will I Wake Tomorrow From This Nightmare

**Sorry it's a relatively short chapter, i'm having a little writer's block. I'm totally kicking Becker's ass right now. Is it bad that I kinda enjoy putting him through hell for being so emotionally dense? I hope you enjoy!**

It was easily the longest ten minutes of Becker's life. It was hard for him to believe that he was never going to see Jess again. It hadn't even occurred to him that Jess would ever be in danger, especially in the ARC. She'd been the only person he hadn't been afraid to lose. He only kept her at a distance because he didn't want her to have to go through the pain of losing someone she cared for. In his mind the less they were together the better it would be for her in the long run. If she could get used to the idea of him not being around all the time, then it would be easier to adjust when he dies. The matter of his death was not something he ever glossed over. The job would kill him sooner or later, and he wanted as few people hurt by it as possible.

He'd left the door after only a few minutes, knowing it was useless to wait there and not wanting the rest of the team to witness his breakdown, heading straight for the nearest restroom.

After pacing across the smooth tile floor for about five minutes Becker finally broke down and sank to the floor sobbing uncontrollably. He cried until it was hard to breathe and he had no more tears left in him, but the ache in his chest didn't go away. He rubbed it as he stood slowly and made his way over to the generic porcelain sink. Splashing the cold water on his face erased the tear stains from his face, but his blood shot eyes stared accusingly back at him. _ Why couldn't you protect her?_ His mind screamed at him, _If you'd just told her how you felt she might have been safe in your bed last night instead of here. _Becker shook his head trying to ignore the irrational, yet agonizing, thoughts. Unfortunately his brain was ignoring things like rational thinking so all he could think was that he was the reason Jess was dead. He nearly laughed at the thought of keeping her so far away when she was around, and now all he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and never let go. He let out a short bark of humorless laughter as he realized that the cliché was true. He hadn't known just how much he loved Jess until she was gone. _Maybe there's still a chance she'd alive, _a quiet voice from the recesses of his mind whispered. It was the voice that he'd shut down two years ago when Sarah had died screaming in his arms. Another memory he tried, and failed to suppress.

"Just admit she's gone," he whispered to the empty bathroom. The statement echoed tauntingly off the walls like phantom voices pointing out his failures. He rubbed his hand across his face, trying to block out the sound with distraction and put the com link back in his ear.

"How much longer until we can get in Connor?" He asked, ignoring the dread and fear rising in his gut. He prayed that he wouldn't be the one to find Jess' body, he wasn't sure he'd be able to hold it together if he did.

"Two minutes," Connor said in an unsteady voice, Becker was horrified that he was actually happy that he wasn't the only one already mourning the loss of their field coordinator. With one last glance at the mirror to make sure his soldier's mask was back in place he jogged out the door.

"I'm on my way," he told the three people listening over the com system.

Abby was the first to look up when she heard his hurried footsteps approaching. Becker felt his chest tighten even further when he saw that her eyes were red and that there were tear mark trailing down her cheeks. Matt's expression was as expressionless as ever, though Becker would have sworn that there was some pain and sadness hidden in his eyes.

"Do we know how many people are in there?" Becker asked, not really caring who answered. There was a tense silence, which told Becker that he was the only person who didn't know how many people were lost.

"Our best guess is between ten and sixteen," Connor's voice was soft and scratchy from sorrow, "With everyone going in and out we can't get an accurate number." Abby walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in support. Becker internally winced at the sight, knowing he'd never have that with Jess.

"First priority is to identify the bodies so we can make notifications."

"Shouldn't we be looking for survivors first?" Abby asked a little surprised that Becker hadn't been the one to suggest it.

"There won't be any survivors Abby," He said with as little emotion as possible even though images of Jess' lifeless body were haunting him every second.

"But Jess," Abby started only to be interrupted when Becker spoke.

"There's no air Abby," his voice was soft enough that Abby, who'd taken a few steps towards him in surprise, could hear the raw pain and despair in his voice. Her face softened and she put a consoling hand on his forearm, squeezing when a tear he couldn't fight off rolled freely down his cheek. She opened her mouth to say something, anything to comfort him when a loud beep and a rush of air announced the end of the lockdown.

"Let's go," Connor nearly shouted as he jumped up and punched in his access code, making the vacuum sealed door pop open.

"Connor wait!" Becker snapped as the young man started quickly for the door. Connor stopped dead in his tracks, faint traces of fear obvious on his face at Becker's tone. Becker sighed, "Sorry," he said, "Protocol says I have to go first. Just in case." Connor looked a little relieved at the fact that Becker was going in first, but still managed to look unhappy about it at the same time. Looking at the steel door the soldier took a steadying breath, and stepped into Hell.


	4. When Your Heart Has Expired

**Here's the next chapter. Kudos to everyone who got the RENT references! Enjoy and please review!**

Red. The color of passion, love, fire. But at the moment it was the color of death. It was everywhere in the ops room. There wasn't a wall or piece of equipment that had escaped the gruesome new paint job. The smell of iron was so over powering that Connor had to run back into the hall to empty the contents of his stomach. Becker was tempted to join him, almost. A steady stream of blood was dripping off the edge of the ADD with a steady beat that created a morbid soundtrack to their search. Becker winced as he thought of lovely little Jess' reaction to the state her baby was in and froze when he realized he'd never get to see that reaction.

"Oh God," Abby gasped, her normal bravado quickly disappearing. One hand was clamped firmly over her mouth and the other was clenched in a fist over her stomach. Becker nudged Matt and tilted his head in her direction, hoping the other man understood what he was saying. Matt nodded and wrapped an arm around the young blonde's shoulders.

"Why don't you see if Connor's alright?," he said, "He could probably use you right now." Becker saw Abby look up at him in surprise, and a little bit of thanks, before she nodded slowly and made her way over to her still retching boyfriend.

"Nice job," Becker muttered to him as he kept his eyes sweeping over the room, just in case not all the predators had succumbed to the lack of oxygen. Matt reappeared next to him, shaking his head as he glanced around the room.

"This is right out of a fucking nightmare," he muttered loudly enough for Becker to hear. Matt had no idea just how much of a nightmare was for Becker. He cleared his throat when it started to burn from repressed tears.

"Right," he grunted, "Let's figure out who everyone is." He looked around at the mangled bodies. "And which pieces go together." It wasn't meant to be a joke, so he was a little surprised, and slightly disturbed, when Matt chuckled softly. Becker raised an eyebrow and moved forward, sweeping his EMD across the room."

"Go find Jess," Matt's voice, and command, made Becker jump. He spun around to face the team leader and was shocked to see a look of sympathy on his face.

"I don't-," Becker said before Matt interrupted him.

"I'd want to be the first one to find her if it was Emily." Matt said taking a step closer and placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You may not admit it to anyone else, but you'll need to grieve."

"Fine," Becker said shaking off the hand on his shoulder, annoyed at the fact that he was being forced to live his worst nightmare and that Matt could see it.

Lester's office was at the far end of the room, just out of his line of sight, and it's where he knew Jess' body would be. He maintained his traditional soldier's pace as he picked his way through the torn bodies, but as soon as he saw the glass walls of Lester's office his mind took on a single purpose that not even his overly developed soldier's discipline could override. Find Jess. The animal instinct to find his mate was overpowering and he gave up trying to fight. His feet moved towards Lester's office of their own accord and he dropped his EMD to the floor. Within seconds he was sprinting up the steps and pounding his passcode into the keypad. The rational part of his brain told him that seeing Jess lying motionless on the floor was the last thing he wanted, but that didn't stop his body from moving forward into the room.

The first thing he saw when he entered the room was the ridiculous green pump that had told him Jess was there. He felt his knees buckle at the sight of the pale leg that stuck out from behind the desk. Suddenly the EMD was on the floor and he had no idea how it had gotten there, or how he ended up on his knees beside it. Part of him wanted to run to Jess and wrap her in his arms, begging her to come back to him. Another part was screaming at him to run out of the room and shoot the damn things that had taken her from him. In the end he managed to pull himself up and stumble over to her. He fought to maintain his composure, but the moment he saw her still, and slightly blue form, he lost control. She was half hidden under the large desk, her small arms pulled up tightly to her face. She looked so fragile and scared that Becker felt his heart break for the third time. Pain raced up his knees as he crashed down beside her, his breaths coming in ragged gasps with tears pouring unchecked down his face.

"Oh God Jess, I'm so sorry," He said giving in to his first reaction and pulling her tightly to his chest. He pressed his lips to her hair before burying his face in her shoulder and sobbing with abandon.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, ignoring everything around him, until he was brought back to reality by something brushing softly against his hair. It startled him enough that he pulled away from Jess and looked around for any possible threat. More movement drew his gaze down to the woman in his arms and he realized in shock that he'd felt Jess breathing against his hair.

"Jess!" he nearly shouted, shaking her slightly, "Jess I need you to wake up." With a muffled curse Becker surged to his feet, with Jess wrapped safely in his arms, and raced out the door.

"Matt," he shouted at the top of his lungs and was rewarded with not only the Irishman but Connor and Abby as well.

"What is it?" Matt asked coming up beside him, his eyes glued to Jess. Becker unconsciously held her closer, as if he were afraid that Matt would try to take her from him.

"She's breathing," he said bluntly, "We have to get her to medical." Matt just nodded.

"You got her?" He asked the black clad soldier. Becker nodded firmly.

"Let's go," he said just as Jess gasped a little next to his ear. In less than a second he was racing down the abandoned hallway.

Normally the thought of Jess gasping and moaning in his ear would be enough to make him groan and his mind drift to many pleasurable, though completely inappropriate for work, scenarios. This time however the shallow gasps for air coming from Jess made Becker run faster than he'd ever run before. The group thundered down the hall at full speed towards the medical wing, Becker leading the way with Jess still held tightly in his arms as he whispered reassuringly to her. He prayed for the first time in years that they would get Jess back so he could finally stop being an idiot and tell her everything. It wasn't long before they burst into the medical room and Becker set Jess gently down on one of the exam beds. Matt busied himself with pulling over an oxygen tank, while Connor and Abby were just outside on their phones. Though Becker wasn't sure who they were talking to, and in all honesty he really didn't care.

"Don't give up Jess," he whispered in her ear. His hand gripped hers tightly, because he was afraid if he let go he'd wake up and find out this was all just a dream and he was still in Lester's office clutching her cold body.

"Got it," Matt said as he placed a clear mask over Jess' nose and mouth. They waited in a tense silence for a few moments until Connor called Matt over for something, leaving Becker alone in the room with a still unconscious Jess.

"Come on, come on," he whispered to himself, willing Jess to wake up. As his adrenaline rush faded away, so did his energy. Soon he was fast asleep with his head resting on the bed next to their entwined hands, and the movement from the girl on the bed was so subtle that it didn't even register in his sleep addled brain.


	5. I'll Cover You

**Sorry for the wait, I was having a little trouble with writer's block. Anyway, there's only one chapter, maybe two, left after this one so let me know what you think. But I'll probably have another story up shortly after this one finishes. An injured Becker is already bouncing around in my head demanding I write his story. Enjoy!**

Smell was the first thing to register in Jess' sleep drenched consciousness. There was an over powering sterile scent in the air, one that instantly told her she was in the medical wing, mixed with an unfamiliar metallic and burning scent. Sound came next, though there was nothing really tangible she could understand, few murmured conversations coming from the hallway and some soft breathing coming from near the bed.

Jess woke up fully knowing that she couldn't move her hips, though she could still feel her entire body. There was something holding her down at her hips and the top of her thighs. She stifled a giggle when she looked down at Becker, who was using her as a pillow. He'd been there when she first woke up as well, though he'd only been holding her hand, but he'd just fallen asleep and she didn't have the heart to wake him. Not to mention she was exhausted herself, so she just went back to sleep. She wondered when he had moved to the position he was in now. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her thighs and his head resting on her hips, which wouldn't make a very good pillow since had pretty bony hips in her opinion. Not that she minded, she just wished he was actually next to her in the bed.

"He hasn't left since he carried you in here," A voice said quietly from the doorway, making her tear her eyes away from the gorgeous man using her as a pillow. Matt stood in the entrance, resting his weight against the frame. He gave her a small smile, which in Matt terms was a giant beaming grin, and pushed away from the wall to walk closer. "It looked like his adrenaline just gave out, so we let him sleep," he said before he really looked at her, "How're you feeling?"

"Still a little woozy, but better than I did surrounded by those… things," Jess finished with a shudder. The images of what had happened were still rolling around in her head and she was pretty sure that they'd be there forever. She was just glad she hadn't started having nightmares, yet. They were most likely inevitable, she knew that, but she wanted them to stay away as long as possible.

"How?" she heard Matt mutter. She looked up to see Matt frowning down at his feet.

"What?" she asked him. His gaze snapped back up to hers, and she was shocked to see him looking a little sheepish.

"Not that we're not happy you're alright, but… how did you survive?"

"The emergency oxygen tank," she said looking at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Matt just looked at her with a confused expression on his face. Jess sighed, "Does no one read my memos?" she asked then rolled her eyes when Matt scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, the picture of guilt.

"There's been an emergency O2 tank in every lab and office since the last lockdown," she said simply wondering why the hell she sent out memos if no one bothered to read them.

"Becker or Lester's idea?" Matt asked and Jess couldn't help but feel a little put out at his assumption.

"Mine actually," she said crossing her arms across her chest in irritation, "I thought it would be a good idea if people were given the chance to survive if they got stuck like I did." Just the memory was enough to make her shiver. Her bravado failed and she reverted to her uncertain self. She bit her lip, knowing the answer to her next question.

"Did…, did anyone else…," Jess trailed off, unable to finish the question.

"You were the only one," Matt said, understanding her question. Jess nodded silently, not trusting herself to speak. She felt the smooth strands of Becker's hair between her fingers before she was even aware that she'd moved her hand. It was as if her body knew what she needed for comfort before her mind did. Jess lost herself in the soft texture of his dark hair, and felt her racing heart begin to slow. A voice calling Matt's name floated through her consciousness, as did his soft response.

"I've gotta go Jess, but Connor and Abby will be here to see you soon." He said resting a hand gently on her ankle, his body heat radiating through the thin hospital blanket. She nodded to show him that she heard, but she never took her eyes away from where her pale hand stood among Becker's midnight hair. Soon the warmth left her ankle and the door closed behind Matt, leaving her alone with Becker. Her hand tightened into a loose fist and she tugged his hair gently.

"I know you're awake," she said softly, trying to pull his head away from her legs, "and Matt's gone so you can get up." Becker's only response was to wrap his arms more firmly around her legs.

"No," he muttered into her hips, sounding a bit like a petulant child. There was something else in his voice, but Jess couldn't figure out exactly what it was so she let it slide for the moment. Instead she sighed and held back a giggle.

"Please Becker," she made her voice as sweet as possible, but Becker remained unmoved.

"How did I know I was awake?" His voice was still muffled against her and she could feel his breath against her legs.

"You kept squeezing my legs on and off while I was talking to Matt, "she said tapping her finger on her chin, "and your breathing changed." There was silence for a while before Jess started to get a little worried, since this was far from Becker's normal behavior.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Why didn't you call me?" His voice was so low that she almost didn't hear him, and took a second to answer. It almost sounded like he was accusing her.

"My phone's in my locker," she said and jumped a little when Becker's head suddenly popped up. She was shocked to see how red and swollen his eyes were. Becker pushed himself away from the bed harshly and ran his hands through his already ruffled hair. He marched over to the door and threw the deadbolt, causing Jess to finally realize that she was actually in one of the isolation rooms. _At least we have a little privacy,_ she thought to herself.

"Then send an email, or a text from the computer, something," Becker's sudden outburst made her jump for the second time in five minutes, "Anything to let me know what was going on. I could have been there sooner." His voice was steadily getting louder as he lost more and more control, sending Jess realigning into surprise. She grabbed his arm when he moved closer to the bed, pulling him in before he could escape again.

"I should have protected you," he whispered in a voice so full of pain that it made tears spring to life in her eyes.

"Becker," she said forcing him to look her in the eye as she spoke, "The computers can't send messages once lockdown goes into effect." Becker dropped his head, and Jess chose to ignore the tear she saw drop to the blanket covering her lap.

"I'm alright," she said putting a still slightly cool hand on his cheek, "I survived, I…," Jess was cut of sharply as Becker's lips crashed down on hers.


	6. There's Only Us

**Again with the writer's block! It's seriously kicking my ass. Oh and total random tangent, I actually met someone name Hillary Becker. No lie, though she was female. Any who here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Jess felt a little dizzy, though she wasn't sure if it was from the kiss, or a left over effect of a lack of oxygen. In all honesty she didn't care as long as Becker never stopped kissing her. The girly part in her head was jumping up and down elatedly, squealing at the top of her mental lungs. Kissing Becker had been one of the things she'd wanted most in the world, ideally it would be naked Becker but she'd settle for just kissing for now, and it was even better than she could have ever imagined.

Her arms wrapped around Becker's neck of their own accord, pulling him tight against her. He was so warm against her that she couldn't stop herself from gently tracing the curve of his lip with the tip of her tongue. The move pulled a soft groan from Becker, who immediately deepened the kiss. His hand fisted in her hair, causing a slight pain that she ignored, and she couldn't help but smile a little at Becker's enthusiasm. They battled for dominance, which Becker won unsurprisingly, though Jess admittedly didn't try very hard. Jess gained the upper hand when she nibbled gently on his lower lip, and she would swear that she felt his knees buckle a bit.

She was debating whether or not to use all her strength to drag Becker into the bed with her, her near death experience giving her a new found willpower, when a knock at the door interrupted them. Becker pulled away with a curse, something that Jess seconded whole heartedly, and rounded on the door. He paused to take a deep, calming breath before he opened the door.

"What?" he asked shortly. He somehow managed to keep it from sounding rude. The doctor that had been standing outside the door looked less than impressed.

"I'd like to check on my patient," he said with a glare, "If that's alright with you Captain." Jess had to stifle a giggle at the sight of Becker being stared down by a man who looked to be just a little taller than her. His grey hair stuck out at odd angles, making him look a little like a mad scientist, and Jess guessed that someone had just pulled him out of bed. Becker just stared at the man in shock, his jaw dropping a little. Jess could no longer hold back her giggle and the sound snapped Becker back to reality. He immediately stood aside to let the other man in, though he still had a slightly baffled look on his face.

"How're you feeling?" The doctor asked kindly. He instantly reminded Jess of her grandfather, though for the life of her she couldn't think why.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Are you sure," he asked with a frown, "You look a little flushed." Jess heard Becker cover a laugh by coughing and sent a glare his way when the doctor wasn't looking.

"Yes I'm sure," she said, "I just really want to go home, to bed." She couldn't keep her eyes from darting to Becker as she said the last two words, and she didn't miss how his posture stiffened or how his gaze heated. It was even funnier to watch him try and pull it all back under wraps.

"Alright," the doctor said as he made notes on the silver clip board he was holding, "But you'll need someone to drive you home. I don't want you behind the wheel for the next two days." The last part was said while he was pointing his pen at her emphatically, driving his point.

"I'll take her," Becker said before Jess could say anything to the doctor in return. Jess raised an eyebrow at him and only got one in return, which sent a chill down her spine. The entire interaction went unnoticed by the doctor who was busy filling out her discharge forms. The amount of paper work required by the ARC was astonishing, even to Jess who dealt with it every day. The doctor tore the carbon copy off the clipboard and handed it to Becker.

"Make sure she goes straight to bed as soon as she gets home."

"That was the plan," Becker said looking at Jess with an unreadable expression, but the undertone in his voice held a promise of things to come. Jess felt another shiver race involuntarily down her spine, and she was starting to wonder if maybe it was a side effect of her oxygen deprecation.

"Doctor?" Jess called softly and waved the doctor over when he looked at her. He frowned a little as he walked to stand next to her, leaning in so that she could whisper and keep Becker from hearing.

"Um," she said, a little embarrassed at the question she was about to put forward, "Is there a medical reason for randomly shivering?" Jess bit her lip while she was waiting for his answer. The doctor just shook his head.

"Not that I can think of," he said glancing at Becker out of the corner of her eye, "Maybe it has something to do with him." Jess felt her face heat up and heard the doctor chuckle next to her. He patted her gently on the knee and turned back to Becker.

"Just make sure she gets home alright," he told the much taller man, "and don't let her over exert herself." The last part was said as the vertically challenged doctor walked out the door. Jess refused to look up from the bedspread and was shocked when she was suddenly launched into the air. She squeaked and latched onto whatever was holding her and found herself face to face with a smiling Captain Becker. She looked down at his combat boots

"I hate that I can't hear you coming," she said while glaring at him. He just smirked in response.

"I wouldn't be any good at my job if you could hear me coming," he said carrying her towards the door. Her fingers were cramping and a quick glance down showed them still clutching Becker's jacket for all they were worth. It took some effort, but she managed to unlace her fingers and draped her arms around Becker's neck.

"You can put me down you know," she said, though she really didn't want to be put down. Being in Becker's arms was just to amazing to ever purposefully stop.

"You heard the doctor," he said with his trademark smirk, "You're not allowed to exert yourself." Jess frowned, knowing he was going to take advantage of the situation as much as he possibly could. The plan that came to her was so brilliantly timeless that she couldn't help the slightly maniacal smile that spread across her face. Shifting until her lips were right next to Becker's ear she let out a soft sigh.

"I guess that means I have to go straight to bed as soon as you get me home."

"Like I said, that's the plan," Jess could hear the smile in his voice and leaned in close enough to graze his earlobe lightly with her teeth. A wave of satisfaction flowed through her when she heard his breathing hitch momentarily.

"Too bad it has to be alone," she whispered again, nearly laughing when he stumbled a little, "After all, I wouldn't want to exert myself."


	7. Ten Thousand Kisses

**Sorry again that it took so long to update, but this is the second to last chapter so enjoy!**

Even though it was her apartment, Jess had a hard time finding the light switch with Becker standing so close. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the faint outline of Becker's hand reach out and flip the switch. Light flooded the open layout of the apartment and Jess could help but blush at the mess left by a harried Connor. He was normally messy anyway, but it was obvious that he'd been in even more of a hurry than usual this morning.

"It's not usually this messy," Jess said automatically dropping her bag and gathering the scattered clothing, "Well Connor is rather messy, but he usually remembers to keep it in his and Abby's room...," Jess trailed off when Becker's hands covered hers. She looked up a little shyly only to find the soldier holding back his laughter.

"It's fine Jess," he said leading her over to the couch and basically forcing her to sit down, "Stay there and I'll get you something to drink." He hurried off before Jess could say anything, and she knew that he would insist she rest soon, just like the doctor ordered. Resting was the last thing she wanted to do after sleeping for what seemed to be at least ten hours. Her teeth worried her lower lip while she watched Becker fumble around in her colorful kitchen. His black clad figure stood out in the purple kitchen. _At least he matches,_ she thought to herself, looking at the black appliances and accessories. When she heard glass shatter, followed by Becker's curse, she pushed herself off the couch with a sigh and headed for the kitchen. The hall closet was on the way so it was easy to grab the small vacuum she kept for times like these. There wasn't much use for it with hard wood floors, except for whenever Connor managed to break something. The boy was a genius when it came to technology, but it was a blood bath if he was ever put next to glass or porcelain. Becker was picking up the larger of the pieces carefully with only the tips of his watched him for a moment, surprised that the normally rough soldier could have such a delicate touch. Then again he would have to have pretty steady hands when facing down creatures on a daily basis.

"This might work better," she said holding up the hose of the vacuum. Becker colored a bit, but managed to cover it by standing and turning away to throw the glass shards in the trash. Jess was efficiently cleaning up the rest of the glass by the time he turned around. It was such a domestic scene that he was caught completely off guard by the spear of longing that ran through him. When she finally turned away to put the vacuum back in its place, Becker took a moment to put himself back together.

"Chinese?" he asked, desperate to find a way back to routine. He mental winced when it dawned on him that none of this was routine. Jess considered for a moment before shaking her head.

"I can't forget the last time we had Chinese," she said simply and Becker grimaced in response remembering how he'd walked right into an explosive booby trap.

"Right," he said thinking for a second, "Italian?"

Twenty minutes later they were both settled on the couch, happily munching away on some delicious lasagna and garlic bread. There was a movie on, but neither one of them was paying much attention. Becker was too worried that Jess was going to have a sudden relapse, and Jess was still distracted by the kiss that Becker seemed to have forgotten about. Becker looked like he usually did, with no indication that he'd spent the night next to her hospital bed. Eventually the silence was too much for Jess and she stood up rather quickly and headed to the kitchen to wash up. It wasn't the first time he'd shown concern for her safety and well being, or the first time they'd gotten physical. Though it was definitely the most intense. She was so tired of his pulling away every time they made any type if forward motion. She wondered if she'd have to actually die before he opened up. Her plate hit the sink a little harder than she'd planned in her frustration, sending the shattering sound through the flat once again.

"Jess!" Becker's sudden shout made her jump as he slid round the corner with a frantic look in his eye. He was next to her within a few seconds, his eyes raking over her for any sign of injury.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, grasping her upper arms lightly. Jess looked at him for a full second before throwing caution to the wind and slamming her lips to his. The force of her sneak attack had Becker stumbling back a few feet before he regained his balance and returned her attack. Jess knotted her hands in his soft hair and pulled him as close to her as she physically could. A groan sounded deep in Becker's throat when Jess sucked and nibbled on his lower lip. One of her hands untangled from the hair at the base of his skull to begin working the buttons on his black shirt. Jess had the shirt halfway undone and dangling off a shoulder when Becker pulled away, panting heavily.

"We have to stop now Jess," he said, though he looked like he really didn't want to. His gaze was still taking in her passion tousled hair and reddened lips, before he sighed, "or I won't be able to." Jess could tell that it was hard for him to admit a loss of control.

"Who said you had to?" Jess asked at the same time she pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her in nothing but a lacy turquoise bra. True to his word, Becker groaned and gave up on fighting his instincts. In less than a heartbeat Becker had a half naked Jess seated on the cold marble counter, roughly pushing her thighs far enough apart to stand between. She moaned at the show of aggression and her legs automatically wrapped around his hips to draw Becker closer as he captured her lips again. Jess gave up on unbuttoning his shirt and simply ripped it off to run her fingers down his chest.

When Jess' short nails ran over his bare skin Becker couldn't stop his hips from thrusting forward into her and he closed his eyes tight as she moaned in pleasure. Becker gently pressed Jess back until she was lying back on the counter while his lips trailed a burning path down her neck. His hands trailed down to the closer of her sinfully short skirt, followed by his lips and tongue until Jess was writhing under him.

"Becker," she moaned as his breath tickled the sensitive skin at the waistband of her cotton skirt. Her hands twisted in his hair as his fingers worked on the side zipper before pushing the skirt slowly down her legs, revealing a matching pair of lace boy shorts.

"I need you." Her breathy plea turned out to be more than he could handle. With a primal growl he scooped her up close to his chest, with her legs still tightly wrapped around his waist, and headed for the bedroom.


	8. Without You

**Sorry again that it took so long to update, I had some serious issues with writer's block. This is the last chapter of the story and I most likely won't be posing another for a while. I have half a novel to finish, but hopefully I'll finish relatively soon and get back to Jecker. Enjoy!**

Becker felt a moment of panic when he woke to an empty and surprisingly cold bed. The soldier in him wondered how the hell she'd managed to get away without waking him up, but for once the simple male part of him was grieving her absence. Becker couldn't help but think that maybe last night had all been a dream and that Jess really was gone for good. However glancing down at the lavender comforter that covered him tossed that theory right out the window. A clatter from the kitchen had him out of bed before his mind could catch up with the rest of his body. A soft curse followed and Becker had to hold back a smile at the sound of his sweet innocent Jess using curses that he was pretty sure most of his soldiers didn't even know. Knowing there was no danger, he walked slowly towards the noise, taking in the decor that he'd missed last night. The flat was surprisingly muted compared to the usually brightly robed field coordinator. The walls of the hallway were a light moss green with a cream trim that was extremely comforting. Family photos lined the walls, making it easy to see that Jess got her brilliant smile from the woman next to her who he assumed was her mother. When he finally reached the kitchen he was surrounded by pale yellow walls and he could see Jess hovering by the stove as the delicious smell of bacon wafted through the front rooms. Jess didn't turn around as he made his way towards her. He watched her as she flitted about the kitchen, looking a little like a butterfly in her light blue night gown.

He couldn't resist the temptation of her for long and he slid silently up behind her to wrap his arms around his very startled girlfriend. Becker froze for a second when the word girlfriend crossed his mind. They hadn't actually discussed the terms of their newfound relationship. They hadn't really discussed much of anything last night, other than which way was the bedroom.

"I thought you were still sleeping," Jess said as she leaned back into his embrace. Her hair tickled Becker nose, nearly overwhelming him with the lingering scent of her shampoo and he buried his face into the crook of her neck. It was the only way he could think of reassuring himself that this wasn't going to disappear.

"When you weren't in bed, I thought last night was a dream and you were really gone for good," he whispered into her hair. Jess twisted around until she could wind her arms around him neck, pressing herself tightly against him.

"I don't plan on going anywhere," she said. She looked down shyly, a slight blush flowing over her cheeks, "Especially after last night." Becker couldn't help but grin a little at the memories her words invoked. A slight sting told him that Jess had slapped his bare chest and he grabbed her hand before she could pull it away, pulling it up to his face to press a kiss to her knuckles.

"Don't let it go to your head," she said, glaring at him slightly, "You're ego's big enough already." Becker smiled again and dipped his head to kiss her softly before he could change his mind. It was still hard for him to let himself show her how much he loved her after hiding it away for so long. Walking into the ops room searching for her body had easily been the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, and honestly he wasn't sure how he'd kept his knees from collapsing when he'd found her looking so lifeless.

"Becker?" Jess' voice brought him out of the awful memories.

"Stay with me," he said without much thought. Jess frowned at him.

"I hadn't planned on leaving anytime soon," she said slowly, "Especially since we're in my apartment."

"No," Becker said shaking his head quickly, "I mean forever." Jess stared at him in shock for a moment, her eyes wide and he found it absolutely captivating.

"Are you propose…" She started, but was quickly cut off by Becker.

"No," he said, "Not yet anyway. I want you to move in with me." The pale pallor of her skin had Becker looking around for a seat of some kind of chair, just in case she fell over. He settled on a dining room chair and led her over to it, dropping to his knees in front of her when she was steady. "As corny as it sound Jess, when I realized you were in the ops room and I couldn't get to you I knew the only reason I was still alive was that I had to bring you home first. After that I probably would have walked to the armory and put a pistol in my mouth." He ignored Jess' horrified gasp and the way her hands tightened on his shoulders.

"Becker, I…"

"Wait, Jess please," He said looking up at her, his heart aching at the sight of tears in her eyes. She bit her lip and nodded, "I can't lose anyone else without losing touch with reality, and if I lost you there'd be nothing else for me." He dropped a kiss to her bare thigh, just below the hem of her nightgown, and settled his cheek against the same spot. He wrapped his arms around her hips as if he could anchor her to him by shear will power. "I love you, please come home with me."

Becker waited with bated breath for her answer, a small part of him terrified that she'd reject him after he'd let all his walls down. After only a second Becker felt Jess start to run her fingers through his hair, causing his muscles to relax unconsciously. She finally tugged him up by his hair and kissed him with every ounce of passion she possessed.

"I love you," she said with a giddy smile, "and I not going anywhere." Becker couldn't help but smile, and he knew he'd be doing a lot more of it over the years.


End file.
